Spencer Tracy - Assessment and Legacy

Assessment and Legacy

In the 21st century, Tracy is best known to general audiences for his association with Katharine Hepburn. He continues to receive praise from film scholars: critic Leonard Maltin calls Tracy "one of the 20th century’s finest actors", while film historian Jeanine Basinger describes his career as a "golden record of movie achievement". Charles Matthews, writing for The Washington Post, argues that "Tracy deserves to be remembered for himself, as a master of acting technique".

Preserving Tracy's legacy, an award for excellence in film acting is bestowed in his name at the University of California, Los Angeles. Past recipients of the UCLA Spencer Tracy Award include James Stewart, Michael Douglas, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Kirk Douglas and Morgan Freeman. A documentary about Tracy was made in 1986, entitled The Spencer Tracy Legacy. First broadcast by PBS, and hosted by Katharine Hepburn, it includes footage of Tracy's career and interviews with his former co-stars. In 2009, Tracy provided inspiration for the character Carl in Pixar's Oscar-winning film Up. Director Pete Docter explained that there is "something sweet about these grumpy old guys".

Several of Tracy's films, particularly his comedies, are regarded as classics of American cinema. He starred in four of the titles on the American Film Institute's list of "100 Years ... 100 Laughs": Adam's Rib, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Father of the Bride and Woman of the Year. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was included on AFI's list of the 100 greatest American movies, while Captains Courageous featured on their list of America's most inspiring movies.